Justice Unplugged:Public faith in the judiciary is eroding, says former CJI Ramana

Former CJI N.V. Ramana addresses eroding faith in judiciary, advocates for accessibility, diversity, and transparency in legal system.

Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana on Saturday said that the faith of the people in the judiciary is eroding. Speaking at the law conclave Justice Unplugged: Shaping the Future of Law in Chennai, organised by VIT School of Law (VITSOL), VIT Chennai, in collaboration with The Hindu, the former CJI emphasised the need to acknowledge and address these perceptions while formulating solutions.

“Unfortunately, in recent times, an average citizen is apprehensive about approaching courts, fearing the unknown. They have raised concerns about delays, pendency, accessibility, deficient infrastructure, large vacancies, transparency of legal proceedings, the ill-equipped criminal justice system, increasing number of false cases etc.,” Justice Ramana (retd.) said, highlighting the necessity of making the legal system more accessible to India’s marginalised populations.

He also advocated the ‘Indianisation’ of the legal system, stressing the importance of administering justice in local languages to enhance transparency for litigants.

“The procedure and language of law make it very difficult for the clients to understand the court proceedings. Once a case is filed, the litigants often feel they have lost control over the fate of their dispute. However, once the language barrier is reduced, the access to justice improves,” he said.

Justice Ramana noted that the judiciary does not adequately reflect the country’s diversity. He emphasised that a more representative bench would enrich jurisprudence. “This problem requires action on the part of the higher judiciary to appoint more judges from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Salutary statements and lip-services would not help the cause,” he said. 

More critically, he pointed out the glaring underrepresentation of women in the judiciary, calling it a systemic issue that demands urgent redressal. “During my tenure as the CJI, the Supreme Court had the highest number of women judges in its history,” he stated. At present, only two of the 33 Supreme Court judges are women.

In a sharp critique of the entrenched nepotism in judicial appointments, the former CJI highlighted how individuals with influential connections often enjoy undue advantages in career progression, a concern also reflected in the 30th Law Commission Report.